10 comments
How does it handle lack or inertia? To float it must be very lightweight, so every time the kids hit it it will go and colide with the walls.
PS: If you have a small kid, helium balloon are a super nice present. Wrap them in paper for an additional surprise. Remember to give it to the children in a closed room.
Okay looks cool, but what can this robot actually do? I get the concept and the mechanics, but it’s not obvious what the practical capabilities are. Is it meant as a research platform for soft robotics, a demo of compliant movement, or does it have any specific real-world tasks in mind like inspection, underwater sensing, or manipulation? I’m curious what the intended application is beyond the technical novelty.
It says:
We see potential uses in companionship and affective interaction. The robot’s ability to elicit spontaneous touching and positive emotional responses suggests it could serve in therapeutic settings or as a social presence for people who spend time alone. The quiet operation and gentle movement make it suitable for environments where noise and sudden motions would be disruptive.
Full article with more pictures and a video at the end: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3745900.3746080
It does look cute. I could imagine something like this being at children's museum or something.
W̶e̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶ ̶p̶o̶t̶e̶n̶t̶i̶a̶l̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶p̶a̶n̶i̶o̶n̶s̶h̶i̶p̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶f̶f̶e̶c̶t̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶e̶r̶a̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ We see potential uses in ads is where this is probably going...
Reminds me of the Festo AirPenguin: https://youtu.be/jPGgl5VH5go?si=01RbG22bteL001QI
Helium filled eh? I don't think this is a good idea.
Why? You just need to choose electronics that doesn't use micro mechanical designs that would be damaged by helium. (Or are you pointing at some other reason?)
One possible reason (not the GP so I don't know if this is theirs) is that there's a finite amount of helium available, so using it for this sort of use case depletes it for others.
Personally I think a hydrogen version would be hilarious but others might disagree...
I was about to argue that surely the consumption of helium in balloons must be tiny compared to industrial use, but apparently it makes up 5-10% of all helium consumption? That is a magnitude more than I thought, and certainly nothing to ignore for a finite and irreplaceable resource that we need for stuff like MRI machines.